Finding Home

Chapter 9

Rory awoke with a smile Thursday morning, relishing the feeling of Finn's strong arms around her as they cuddled together.  For whatever reason, her normally hurried and anxious mind was calm and peaceful when she was in his arms.  She had only experienced that with Logan in the past, and even with him it wasn't to this extent.  This was somehow more intense while also more freeing than anything she'd ever experienced.  She felt him begin to stir as he reached to turn off the beeping of the alarm he had set and turned to face him. 

"Morning, Finn," she said with sleepy eyes.

"Morning, kitten," he replied as he kissed the top of her head.  "Ready for that run?"

"Mmm...I was more ready last night, but sure," Rory replied with a giggle.  "Bed is awfully tempting."

"Indeed it is, but we'd better get a move on.  Coffee?"

"Not until after I run.  I just like water before I go for a run," Rory replied.

"An occasion when a Gilmore girl doesn't want coffee?  I'll alert the press!" Finn teased.

"It will run on the same page as the story about you being a commitment man and no longer partying," Rory teased back.

"It seems we're a newsworthy couple," Finn laughed.  "Did you bring your running clothes up?"

"No, I'll head back to my room and change and meet you in the lobby?" Rory said as she stood up and stretched.

"Excellent.  Fifteen minutes good?"

"Yeah, I'll see you then," Rory responded as she wrapped her arms around Finn and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.  She gathered her phone and charger and her laptop and put them back in her bag before grabbing her second bag and walking out of Finn's suite and toward the elevator.

Finn took advantage of the moment alone and called the front desk.

"Mark?  This is Finn.  I need you to look up a Laura who's staying on the fifth floor and put me through to her room, please."

"Hi, Laura.  This is Rory's boyfriend, Finn.  I need your help with something..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rory dropped her bags in her room and changed into her favorite running clothes and tennis shoes before brushing her teeth and pulling her hair into a ponytail, and she was suddenly grateful that her mother had talked her into buying cute running clothes instead of the athletic shorts and t-shirt she had been wearing.  She grabbed a bottle of water and drank it quickly before grabbing her iPod, headphones and key card and leaving to meet Finn in the lobby.  She emerged from the elevator to find Finn in basketball shorts and a t-shirt and ready to go.  He crossed the lobby quickly to meet her and pulled her in close to his chest. 

"Ready to go, kitten?" he asked as he kissed her forehead.

"I'm ready!  I usually run two or three miles, but don't take me any further," Rory said with a laugh.

"Deal.  I thought we'd walk to Washington Park, which is just two blocks away, and jog there," Finn replied as they both put in their headphones and exited the building.  Finn took a quick left on the sidewalk and they linked hands as they quickly walked the two blocks as a warm up.  When they arrived at Washington Park they parted hands and both stretched for a minute, and finally Finn set the pace as they began to jog side-by-side.  Rory slowly felt her head clear even more as they completed their first mile, and as they neared the mile-and-a-half point she felt energized and completely at ease with running with Finn.  They fell into the rhythm of running together easily, and she briefly marveled at how nice it felt to have someone to share this part of her life with.  They turned and ran back in the direction they had come from, and Rory felt euphoric as she found that runner's high that she enjoyed so much.  They both stretched a bit more as they got back to where they had begun their walk and removed their headphones before heading back toward the hotel hand-in-hand.